Musings - Blue Hands

I had just been getting over a cold.  Sometimes for me this induces a slight feeling of dizziness.  It's not debilitating or even too disruptive.  It's just an odd sense when I sit still that I feel a bit of a swirl.  I'm sure it has to do with my inner ear or something of that nature.  Anyway, I was experiencing this dizziness and I did not think too much of it.

Just then I looked down at my hands and noticed that they were quite blue.  It was weird.  I began to get nervous and after (wisely or unwisely?) searching the Internet, I thought that maybe my dizziness was somehow related to circulation and I thought I had better call the doctor.

I waited a bit more, not wanting to overreact.  I asked my kids.  Did mommy's hands look blue?  Yes, they agreed that they did.  This sent me into more of a nervous state, thinking that I really had better call the doctor.

My husband arrived home from work and I let him know what was going on.  He looked at my hands and agreed they were indeed blue.  I was very concerned by now and put in a call to the doctor's office.  I let them know of my symptoms and they urged me to come right in.

I got there and sat in the waiting room, wondering what was wrong.  My dizziness was coming and going, but my hands were still blue for sure.  They called me into the room and the kind doctor did a number of tests to see what might be causing the problem.  She, too, acknowledged the blue on my hands but could find nothing wrong by physical examination.  She had me get labs to check blood sugar and various other things, and said she would call me when she had the results.

Once the labs were done and I was home, I sat on the couch waiting and wondering.  I crossed my legs, and as is my habit, rested a hand under my knee.  I sat there for a moment then removed my hand to grab something.  My hand was even bluer.  What was wrong?  The wheels began turning and I put my other hand under my knee and waited a minute.  I removed it and, lo and behold my hand was quite blue.  I walked to the bathroom, turned on the light and promptly began washing my hands.  Blue dye washed into the sink and I began to laugh.

"Derek," I said, "I think I'm going to be fine.  It's just the dumb new jeans.  I got dye on my hands.  I'm such an idiot!"

Not much time passed and I got a call from the doctor.  Labs were normal.  Go figure.  I hesitated but I couldn't leave her hanging.  I had to tell her that yes, my dizziness was legitimate but it was probably just from the cold I was getting over.  My blue hands, however, they were due to a slightly different thing.  I went on to tell her about my jeans and the dye and I laughed and she laughed.  Although it was embarrassing, it was funny.  As I hung up the phone, not only were my hands blue, but my face was red.